In May 2016, the Union Human Resource Development (HRD) announced the establishment of an Indian Institute of Technology at Jammu to promote higher technical education in the state in accordance with a memorandum of understanding was signed by the Department of Higher Education and Human Resource Development Ministry. HRD Minister, Prakash Javadekar had inaugurated the temporary campus set up at the KCS in Paloura.

Until the IIT campus was fully functional, it was decided that IIT Delhi would be the mentor for the IIT Jammu campus. The temporary campus became functional with a total intake of 84 students against the capacity of 90 students offering B. Tech courses in Computer Science Engineering (CSE), Electrical Engineering (EE) and Mechanical Engineering (ME), following the same curriculum as IIT – D, until they developed their own curriculum.

But as of October 2016, no notification regarding recruitment of permanent faculty had been issued by IIT-Jammu, as a result of which they are facing a severe shortage of faculty at the institute. At present, there are just 8 faculty present in the institute teaching 84 students.

The parent of a prospective student informed that they had decided against taking admission in the institute for the lack of infrastructure and faculty. He added that the rate at which the setting up of the institute was progressing, it would take 7 years to make the campus fully functional.

However, SK Koul - Prof-in-Charge at IIT Jammu maintained that the construction of transit campus, spread over 25 acres within the actual site at Jagti village in Nagrota, was likely to be ready in time for the next session, which will accommodate about 600 students. He further added that the recruitment of permanent faculty was likely to start from the next academic session with the introduction of a course in Civil Engineering.